Committee passes draft tightening liability for dog attacks on agricultural land; humane group raises due‑process concerns

The committee advanced HB 2152 as a house draft 1 after adopting targeted amendments narrowing the bill’s scope to agricultural districts and removing language the committee and witnesses considered overbroad.

Nicole Galassi, testifying for the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, said the measure is needed because dog attacks on livestock occur in every county and can be severe for producers. "We support this measure to clarify owner liability and increase the penalties in situations when dogs are attacking livestock," she said.

Stephanie Kendrick of the Hawaiian Humane Society testified in opposition to the bill as drafted but said the organization supports the bill’s intent to protect livestock. Kendrick urged amendments to avoid situations where dogs might be wrongly destroyed based on uncertain identification. She recommended additional due‑process protections and an expedited, fair judicial route for dangerous‑dog cases, and noted a related senate bill addressing hunting dogs would be heard later.

The committee refined the bill: (1) clarified that the affected land and premises language applies only to parcels classified in the agricultural district under chapter 205; (2) removed provisions that could allow destruction of a dog based on non‑immediate suspicion (language on "persistently pursuing or harassing" was removed); and (3) committed to recording insurance‑liability concerns in the committee report for further consideration. The chair said the committee would note testimony from the Hawaii Insurance Council for the next committee’s review.

The committee passed HB 2152 with amendments and forwarded a house draft 1 for further consideration.